Kitchens are an area that can get messy fast. After all, the kitchen gets used multiple times a day! My Homemade Kitchen Cleaner With Essential Oils gets your kitchen sparkling clean with no chemicals. I know you’ll love it as much as I do!
Abundant living is so much more than what you put in and on your body. It also encompasses how you clean your home. Having a chemical-free home is essential to your family’s health, and it can impact your emotional and physical health. Swapping toxic cleaners is an easy step that makes all the difference!
Table of Contents
Toxic Conventional Kitchen Cleaners
Sodium Hydroxide
Most cleaning products include sodium hydroxide, the main ingredient in bleach. When inhaled, this toxin can irritate mucous membranes and lungs. (1) Most of us don’t even use gloves when cleaning with these products, but manufacturers recommend wearing gloves, goggles, and even masks!
One of the worst things about these cleaning agents is that they destroy all bacteria, which isn’t good for your immune system! Specific forms of bacteria are good for you and should be left alone.
Synthetic Fragrances
Without the use of synthetic fragrance, conventional cleaners wouldn’t smell good. Your kitchen may smell fresh, but at what cost to your health? There are over 4000 chemicals that fall under a general “fragrance” label, and you never know just what toxins the company has used.
The FDA has set a legal loophole to allow companies to keep their formulas a secret. (2) While this prevents other manufacturers from copying their recipes, it doesn’t allow consumers much information about their purchases. Synthetic fragrances cause many people to react badly, with manifestations ranging from skin issues to migraines. Essential oils are a wonderful substitute for artificial fragrances!
Toluene
This toxin is found in many multi-purpose cleaners because it dissolves sticky substances. While it does the job well, it causes many health issues. Toluene can cause eye irritations, skin dryness, feelings of anxiety, and brain fog. If you use products that contain this toxin, you’re risking pregnancy loss, insomnia, and damage to the reproductive system. (3) There are safer ways to clean up a mess!
Transform Your Home into a Toxic-Free Haven
This lovely DIY is one of the many recipes we use in our home to create a toxin-free environment that’s safe for our friends and family.
If you like this recipe, I encourage you to try our Homemade Oven Cleaner With Essential Oils! A few simple recipes can equip you with the tools you need to create a clean home that doesn’t affect your body negatively.
Creating a healthier home is easier than you think! If you’re ready to take the plunge and totally detox your home, Dr. Z and Mama Z’s Toxic-Free Healthy Home Makeover is a perfect starting point. Dr. Z and I take you on a room-by-room tour of our home, where we show you all the things we do to create and maintain a toxin-free haven.
You’ll get actionable steps, tips, product recommendations, and recipes that will help you make changes in your home right now.
Non-Toxic Kitchen Cleaner Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients to get your kitchen squeaky clean! You may already have a few of these elements on hand. Here’s what you need.
Distilled Water: Did you know that your water plays a big part in your overall health? It’s true! Tap water is linked to obesity, diabetes, and more. I recommend using purified or distilled water whenever possible. Several water filtration systems are easy to install and keep homes toxin-free.
White Vinegar: This frugal ingredient is a natural cleaner that’s effective against bacteria and mold. This is my favorite base for homemade cleaners and a fantastic replacement for caustic chemicals. For granite counters, omit the vinegar and replace it with the same amount of alcohol or vodka.
Lemongrass Essential Oil: This EO smells lovely and has antibacterial properties. (4) It can also effectively fight fungi like mold. (5) Lemongrass has an uplifting citrus scent. I love cleaning with it because it makes surfaces smell fresh!
Citrus essential oils can increase food safety by fighting nasty bacteria in the kitchen. They can also help cut through greasy messes!
Tea Tree Essential Oil: This is a fantastic antifungal essential oil, making it a great addition to your household cleaners. Its clean scent makes it popular in DIY cleaning products.
Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil: Lemon eucalyptus is part of the myrtle tree family. This EO sanitizes surfaces and also helps repel insects. (6) It’s one of my favorite fresh scents, and I love diffusing it in the Spring!
Citronella Essential Oil: If you live in a warmer climate, you know the struggle of insects invading your home! Citronella EO helps repel insects while freshening surfaces. (7) It has a relaxing effect, making this cleaner an excellent aromatherapy experience. I like using it to clean patio furniture in the Summer.
How to Make Homemade Kitchen Cleaners
This cleaner comes together in minutes. It smells amazing and disinfects the worst messes!
- 4 ounces white vinegar*
- 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
- 5 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil
- 5 drops citronella essential oil
- 1 cup distilled water
- Supplies:
- Glass spray bottle for storage
- Pour the vinegar, essential oils, and distilled water into a glass spray bottle. Shake to combine evenly.
- To use, spray kitchen surfaces and wipe them down.
Step One: Pour Ingredients
Pour the vinegar, essential oils, and water into a glass spray bottle and shake evenly to combine.
Step Two: Sanitize Surfaces
To use your homemade kitchen cleaner, spray surfaces and wipe them down. Enjoy your sparkling clean kitchen!
Mama Z Pro Tips:
- Because this homemade kitchen cleaner contains essential oils, it’s best to store it in a dark, dry spot. I usually keep my DIY cleaning products under the kitchen sink!
- For extremely tough messes, try spraying the surface and letting the cleaner sit for about five minutes before scrubbing.
- You can switch up the scent of this spray if you like. Try replacing a citrus-based oil with lavender or magnolia!
- https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/sodium-hydroxide/default.html#:~:text=Sodium%20hydroxide%20is%20very%20corrosive,from%20exposure%20to%20sodium%20hydroxide.
- https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling/trade-secret-ingredients
- https://www.osha.gov/toluene#:~:text=Without%20proper%20ventilation%20and%20safety,being%20drunk%2C%20confusion%20and%20anxiety.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1995764510601290
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-1573%28199611%2910%3A7%3C551%3A%3AAID-PTR1908%3E3.0.CO%3B2-Q
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3059459/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21481108/
